Chapter 85: The Hero's Challenge Tournament (XIV)

"Ding!"

System notification: Congratulations to the player Berserker for winning the reward—Spirit Monkey Broad Sword! Player level increased by 1!

The extra reward for third and fourth place is a level-up! Blue text flickered before my eyes; it was a blue-grade equipment. Unfortunately, its attack value at level 22 was only 80-152, and the added stats were unimpressive: just 8 points of strength and 34 points of agility. I wondered what Berserker was feeling now—equipment rewards always fluctuate somewhat between item level and player level, but Berserker was at level 27 and drew a level 22 piece. His luck was truly abysmal.

The rest of Berserker's team also drew blue-grade equipment, all around level 20 or so, with mediocre attributes. Murong Shanshan looked at the equipment stats on the screen and chuckled, “Berserker’s group is really lucky. Let’s hope you, Lin Fan, aren’t so fortunate!”

I shot her a glare and replied, “I’ll definitely do better than you, don’t worry!”

“Really? Let’s stop talking and see what Little Ant’s team will get!”

"Ding~!"

System notification: Congratulations to the player Little Ant on the Leaf for winning the reward—Dream Pattern Cloak! Player level increased by 1!

[Dream Pattern Cloak] (Cloth Armor—Blue Equipment)
Defense: 48
Stamina: +24
Intelligence: +32
Agility: +15
Required Level: 30

Ye Qiu’s grin almost split his face in two; after leveling up, he was now at 29. This blue cloth armor granted a whopping 32 intelligence and 24 stamina. A mage’s attack power depends on their magical attack and skill damage bonus—the higher the intelligence, the greater the magical attack. That’s why so many mages desperately pursue high intelligence gear.

Sai drew a level 24 mage skill book, Seven and Rain each received their own equipment, but the unluckiest was Fine, who drew the matching Dream Pattern Shorts. Looks like he’ll be the one making a wedding dress for others.

The third and fourth place teams had finished drawing their prizes, and now it was time for the runner-up team!

Murong Shanshan strode forward confidently, and a few seconds later—

System notification: Congratulations to the player Murong Shanshan for winning the reward—Tutkash Shell! (Players familiar with this game will surely recognize this equipment!) Player level increased by 2!

[Tutkash Shell] (Armor—Purple Equipment)
Defense: 124
Stamina: +48
Strength: +42
Agility: +32
Required Level: 32

Heavens! Murong Shanshan really lucked out this time! High defense and excellent stats guaranteed this piece would become a top-tier item for warriors. In the hands of a skilled player like Murong Shanshan, its value would be fully realized. Fortunately, she was only level 30 now, so she wouldn’t be able to equip this purple chestplate during the next two days of individual competition, which increased my chances of winning the championship. Heaven is on my side!

Feier smiled as she announced, “Congratulations to Murong Shanshan on winning this purple equipment! Now, let’s have the rest of the runner-up team draw their prizes!”

Strangely, none of the other four runner-up players drew purple equipment. Though their blue-grade equipment was high-level, there was still plenty of grumbling. The rogue, Sky Thief, got a level 30 blue leather helmet, filling a gap in his gear. Apart from Murong Shanshan, he was the only one on the team who looked genuinely pleased.

Murong Shanshan came down, radiant, flashing me a smug smile as if to say, “You probably won’t get purple equipment, huh?”

Feier walked up to the stage with a warm smile and announced, “Now, let’s invite the champion team—Green Veggie Cocoa—to come up and draw their prizes!”

Once the five players were on stage, Feier immediately handed the ornate virtual microphone to Xu Lin and asked, “All five of the champions’ names start with ‘Green Veggie.’ Are you planning to form a guild?”

Xu Lin, after a moment of fluster, regained her composure and replied with a smile, “We’re just an eight-person studio for now, not planning any grand uprising or major ventures. But we don’t rule out the possibility. At present, we accept tasks of any level, and if necessary, we’ll even take jobs like arson or murder—prices negotiable, Monday through Friday at a 20% discount. Military clients are strictly refused, as are seniors and children…”

Xu Lin was actually advertising at such a moment! Feier was stunned and quickly cut her off, “Let’s save that for the online interview later. It’s time to draw prizes—everyone’s waiting for lunch!”

Finally, we got down to business. Li Qing was the first to step up, leveled up three times, and drew Adventurer’s Leather Boots—

[Adventurer’s Leather Boots] (Leather Armor—Blue Equipment)
Defense: 36
Stamina: +24
Intelligence: +18
Agility: +38
Required Level: 30

Who would have thought that even the champion’s team could still get blue equipment! Clearly, being champion doesn’t guarantee purple gear. The Moon Eternal company is really stingy!

Xinyu laughed, “Li Qing’s luck is terrible—watch me!”

"Ding~!"

System notification: Congratulations to the player Green Veggie Temptation for winning the reward—Marsh Rider Boots! Player level increased by 3!

[Marsh Rider Boots] (Leather Armor—Blue Equipment)
Defense: 44
Stamina: +32
Intelligence: +24
Agility: +36
Required Level: 32

Everyone was dumbfounded—it was still blue equipment. Though the stats were much better than Li Qing’s, it was still leagues behind Murong Shanshan’s purple armor! Xinyu’s luck wasn’t so great after all…

Xu Lin, gleeful, went up as the third contestant—

"Ding~!"

System notification: Congratulations to the player Green Veggie Feather for winning the reward—Phantom Staff! Player level increased by 3!

[Phantom Staff] (Staff—Blue Equipment)
Magic Attack: 100-165
Stamina: +32
Intelligence: +37
Bonus: Increases fire spell damage by 25%
Required Level: 33

Still blue equipment, but with much stronger stats.

Xu Lin pursed her lips in satisfaction and said, “Not bad—much better than my old green staff! Xue Han, your turn~”

Sixth Xue Han nodded and stepped onto the stage under the gaze of all the players. Among all the female players present, only she could rival Murong Shanshan in beauty; Xinyu was too enchanting, lacking purity, and Xu Lin was too stern, always in boss mode.

With a crisp “Ding!”, our team finally drew our first purple equipment—

[Embrace of the Goddess of Nature] (Cloth Armor—Purple Equipment)
Defense: 58
Stamina: +42
Intelligence: +48
Agility: +38
Bonus: Wearer’s physical attack dodge rate increases by 30%
Required Level: 30

With an extra 42 stamina, a healer’s constitution growth should add over 200 HP. Combined with the necklace I won—Heart Blue Guardian—Sixth Xue Han now possessed two pieces of purple equipment!